“You know when you watch those sports movies and it’s from the player’s perspective and then all of a sudden, the sound comes on?” asked DHS senior Mariana Ortiz. “That’s kind of what it felt like.”
This is how Ortiz described her name being announced as the 2024 3A State powerlifting champion in her class at Comerica Center in Frisco Thursday, March 14.
“Mariana not only earned the Gold medal but also won the 3A scholarship that THSWPA gives to 2 seniors each year,” said head powerlifting coach Wes Benfer, who has seen Ortiz travel to state for the last three years and move up the ranks. “We are so proud of her, and her achievements are a testament to her work ethic.”
Ortiz placed 6th in her 2022 appearance and fifth in 2023.
“Last year, it was really close,” said Ortiz. “Second place and fifth place were only 25 pounds away from each other. I went in third and came out fifth, and this year, I went in second and came out first somehow.”
Ortiz claimed the gold with a total lift of 1,025 pounds, 15 pounds higher than second place.
The top spot seemed to be decided early on as Ortiz set a personal record in squat of 405. She then followed with a bench of 280.
“I wasn’t keeping track of this but Coach Benfer was,” Ortiz said. ”The girl that had been in first place heading into the meet had a bad day on squat and her bench was not as high as mine.”
This led to a positive attitude as she headed into dead lift, where her PR was set three years ago.
“On deadlift, I have this crazy mental block,” Ortiz admitted. “My sophomore year was my first superstar year. I hit 340 in dead lift and I’ve never gone over that. Dead lift and me are just not friends.”
Her bench was high enough that matching the personal best was enough to get her the gold.
Ortiz said she was in shock when she realized she got first. The realization followed that she in the last meet of her high school career and she admitted feeling a tinge of sadness.
For a last meet, she got to end on the highest note possible and said it was a good day and recalled trying to find the ice under the floor since they were lifting where the Dallas Stars practice and meeting Mike Womack the “Bench Daddy” who has a popular line of lifting apparel and has coached more than 100 world champions.
“This man is a legend,” said Ortiz. “He’s like Darren Turley of the World.”
She also enjoyed getting to cheer for Dublin sophomore Cassidy Adair who claimed 8th in her division.
Ortiz said it was the other lifters that are partially responsible for her staying in the sport.
“I joined because boy I liked told me he was doing it,” she admitted. “I stayed in it because of the connections I made.”
Ortiz said she might consider joining a lifting club after graduation but she also wants to leave a lot of her high school life behind as she heads into adult life.
“I want to focus on going to college,” she said. “Right now, I’m working on my EMT certification because I want to be pediatrician. I want to get experience working on an ambulance.”